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Rainbow Round-Up - April - June, 2014

Five Questions with Chris Lines, Festival Director and Board President for B’More Q-Fest

1. Tell us about Q-Fest and what it means to Baltimore.

Baltimore's Queer Film & Media Festival (B'More Q-Fest for short) is a large-scale, multi-venue LGBT premier film and media festival. It will be a new event for Baltimore and Maryland to call its own. With such venue partners as the Maryland Institute College of Art, the Theatre Project and Yellow Sign Theatre, there will be multiple opportunities for everyone interested in seeing quality independent films on the large screen with an audience. B'More Q-Fest brings LGBT films and media to Baltimore that normally would not be brought to Baltimore by major distributors. After the winter we've had, this will be a great opportunity for people to get out of the house and enjoy themselves.

2. What are some of the must-see films during the festival this year?

We will have programs of short (both documentary and narrative), international programming, lesbian, gay and transgender films by Maryland filmmakers. Although we are still working on deciding our opening and closing films, I think I've got my mind made up now. Must-see films include “Who's Afraid of Vagina Wolfe,” “Heterosexual Jill,” “The Rugby Player,” “Geography Club,” “They Hate Me in Vain” (Russian), “Change Over Time” (short) and “DRAG.”

3. Leslie Jordan will be making an appearance at Q-Fest this year. Tell us more about this and his significance to Q-Fest.

As Leslie Jordan has never performed here in Baltimore, Q-Fest is beyond excited to be the organization behind his premiere in Charm City. For Q-Fest and Baltimore to able to book this Emmy award–winning actor is a coup. To kick off the re-inaugural year of Q-Fest, Leslie will be premiering his one-man play “Fruit Fly: Do Gay Men Become Their Mothers?” We will be having a pre-performance cocktail event on June 10 at Chase Brexton Health Center followed by the first performance at 8 p.m. at the Theatre Project. On June 11, a regular performance is scheduled at 8 p.m.

4. What are you hoping visitors will walk away with after experiencing Q-Fest?

First of all, we hope that they had a great time in Baltimore if they are from out of town and an even greater experience at B'More Q-Fest. Second, we want them to walk away with a good feeling about Baltimore and the B'More Q-Fest staff and volunteers. I want them to feel like they have seen quality film and media programming that they will not see on Netflix or Hulu.

5. What are your favorite spots to hang out in Baltimore when you’re not working?

I love to hang out in several places when I'm not working. The key is that I'm always working, even when I'm out and about socializing. I'm constantly promoting B'More Q-Fest. My favorite lunch spots are Nancy's, Milk & Honey, and Tavern on the Hill. My favorite place to eat before or after seeing a movie at the Charles is Sofi's Crepes. My favorite bar is the Loft at Grand Central in the Mount Vernon neighborhood on Friday nights and the piano bar at Grand Central on Wednesday nights.

May Events

Kinetic sculptures are amphibious, human-powered works of art custom-built for the race. Each May, the American Visionary Art Museum hosts the East Coast Kinetic Sculpture Race Championship on the shore of Baltimore’s Harbor in central Maryland. The eight-hour race covers 14 miles – mostly on pavement, but also including a trip into the Chesapeake Bay and through mud and sand.

Designed to advocate for films and filmmakers as they enter the marketplace, the Maryland Film Festival celebrates the art of film in the tradition of famous Baltimoreans like John Waters and Barry Levinson. Documentaries, short films and features are screened at several locations throughout the city as Baltimore goes Hollywood for the better part of a week.

The famed Preakness Stakes, the middle jewel of thoroughbred racing's Triple Crown, is the largest single-day sporting event in the state of Maryland. Preakness InField Fest, a multi-entertainment festival, features national bands, two stages, unique attractions and fun activities throughout the day as fans await the running of the Preakness Stakes.

Creative Alliance’s Charm City LGBT Film Festival has selected six award-winning films that have premiered at the most renowned national and international LGBT film festivals, including Sundance, Berlin and Tribeca film festivals, among others. These outstanding documentaries and features hail from the United States, Taiwan, Germany, Africa and India, and explore a variety of fascinating themes. The festival opens with transgender comic Ian Harvie’s sparkling wit in “Ian Harvie Superhero”; then moves on to “Valencia,” a daring cinematic collaboration between 20 queer filmmakers who re-create San Francisco’s ‘90s punk lesbian diaspora; and follows with a look at two films that delve into the scorching desire and pathos of coming out with the Taiwanese comedy “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow” and the complex, masterful German film “Free Fall.” The festival includes an entertaining portrait of Gore Vidal, the last lion of American liberalism, in “Gore Vidal: The United States of Amnesia.” Last but not least, the festival will close with “Fire in the Bloo,” a brilliant, inspiring David and Goliath story about the courageous fight for affordable AIDS drugs in Africa and the global south.

June Events

A truly original festival, HonFest celebrates all things "Bawlmer" and embodies the warmth and affection bestowed upon neighbors and visitors alike by the city's historic working women. The nationally recognized event covers four city blocks in Hampden, a revered old-style Baltimore neighborhood filled with quirky shops, quaint restaurants and endearing residents.

Baltimore celebrates LGBT communities, families and PRIDE with free outdoor events for the largest LGBT festival in Maryland! The 2014 festival will feature an expanded lineup of events over the 10-day celebration.

The newly renovated Brookshire Suites is an urban lifestyle hotel located in the Inner Harbor with vibrant, contemporary décor that brings together numerous elements of Baltimore, from the historic and eclectic neighborhoods to energizing and artistic communities such as Station North and Mount Vernon.

Where to Dine

Baltimore’s culinary scene is drawing rave reviews from around the globe. From the Inner Harbor to our trendy, historic and hip neighborhoods throughout the city, dining options in Baltimore have expanded in recent years to feature a veritable smorgasbord of cuisines and a range of stylish environments to suit every taste.

Located on “The Avenue” in Baltimore’s Hampden neighborhood, Alchemy is a modern American eatery offering an ever-evolving menu of fresh, seasonal ingredients, placing equal creative emphasis on appetizers, salads, entrées and desserts.